The Union home ministry has asked the Law Commission to draft a law to curb online “hate speech”, The Hindu reported on Tuesday – mainly offensive content being spread on social media. The move is being considered in the wake of a panel – headed by former Lok Sabha secretary general TK Viswanathan and formed after the Supreme Court scrapped Section 66A of the Information Technology Act in 2015 – submitting a report recommending stricter laws to curb online hate speech.

“Such crimes are being registered under various other sections like sedition or other sections of the Information Technology Act. If the law is amended, it will provide us with the extent of the problem,” the report quoted a National Crime Records Bureau official as saying. The scrapped provision provided punishment for sending offensive messages through communication services.